Bicycles spared fare increase on Washington State Ferries

Fares are going up on the Washington State Ferry system beginning May 1 — except for bicycles.

The state announced Tuesday an across-the-board 3% increase that “applies to all fare types, including vehicle/driver, walk-on, and multi-ride cards.”

But not for bicycles. Riding a bike isn’t only a good idea when it comes to the gas pump, it also makes good sense at the fare booth.

Many commuters from Bremerton and Bainbridge Island to Seattle already use the ferry as bicyclists to save time (first off) and save money (lower ferry fare, no Seattle parking fees). Those folks in the photo aren’t commuters, however, they’re just one ferry-run of cyclists bound for the Chilly Hilly Classic on Bainbridge Island.

Bicycle fare

The increase means that bicyclists will pay a little more as walk-on passengers (it depends on the ferry route), but their bicycle surcharge will remain the same.

On most routes, that bicycle surcharge is $1 for a roundtrip; it’s $2 ($4 in peak season) on the Anacortes-San Juan Islands route and $.50 on the Port Townsend/Coupeville route.

Further, the bicycle surcharge exception still applies for passengers traveling with a monthly passenger pass and single fare riders using the ORCA e-card. (That exception doesn’t apply on the Anacortes-San Juans- Sidney routes.)

Peak season

As part of a peak-season surcharge that begins in May, the single-ticket prices for all vehicles will increase 25% on all routes, except for the San Juan Islands where they will increase 35%, according to the state.

Vehicles shorter than 14 feet will see a 20% fare reduction compared to longer vehicles during the peak season.